Hi All, I was wondering if anyone else out there knows what will happen when the 110 North Bound Fasttrak opens up? My wife first saw the signs unveiled briefly during her morning commute 3 weeks ago, and again today they unveiled them again. I don't think it is in effect yet, but at the rate they are working on it, I have to believe it will come soon. I have googled as best as I could but couldn't find anything more recent than around late 2011 when it was still being speculated as to whether or not it would take off. Hoping other PIP owners currently using their green HOV decals on the 110N might be able to clarify this. Are they going to give out the Fasttrak transponders like they did for the yellow HOV decals on the 91 Freeway? Thanks in advance all. -Wayne
Are the 91 transponders fasttrak? I thought the 91 used a different toll company. I haven't been up to the 110 in a while, but if they're anything like the 15 express lanes in San Diego, then you won't need a transponder of any kind, and should be able to pass through fine with just the green sticker. However, if it's like the 73 in OC, then you'll need a proper fasttrak transponder, and still must pay the toll, as the 73 is just a straight up toll highway, so it doesn't matter if you have a sticker. Did the signs on the 110 say it's for HOV access?
Thanks for the reply Mocmylov - Yes the 91 was Fastrak - I spelled this wrong in the title. You brought up a good point in that the 73 (which I've taken) is a toll only road. Regardless of how many people, you always pay. I never used the 91 Fastrak, so I'm only basing this on the threads I found about Prius/Civic Hybrid owners being given the transponders. Even when I was carpooling I didn't take the carpool/toll lanes on the 91 because there was big signs saying "Fastrak only". I uploaded a screencap I got from Wikipedia and it does show them as HOV/Toll Roads, not just Toll like the 73. I hope that means we can still use the decals as it's better to have slower lanes + free access than all out toll like the 73.
Theh last article that I saw in the LA Times noted that the HOV stickers will not work for the Fastrak lanes. You will still have to pay to use - based upon time of day and traffic load.
Yes I saw that article too - I really hope that's not the case because making 4 lanes toll only on the freeway with the highest traffic congestion in the entire United States is just plain greedy. If it's toll, I would rather they just get rid of toll/HOV lanes altogether and make the 110 North and South 6 lanes wide on each side.
Is the road under discussion here a pure toll road where all vehicles pay the same toll (whatever that may be at a given time), or an HOV road where the toll depends on the number of occupants (and possibly an HOV decal)?
This is a regular freeway with HOV lanes under construction. Everyone thought that 2+ occupants or the right stickers would allow access. But no, the state threw us a curveball. You are going to have to pay to use. And the price will vary based upon time of day and traffic loads.
So it is going to be a toll road with both regular and HOV lanes? Will decal holders be able to use the HOV lanes on the road, having paid the toll to get on the road?
I was on the 110 recently and didn't notice any construction of new lanes, but I wasn't really looking for them either. I thought what they were doing was taking over the existing HOV lanes and changing them to toll lanes, with some discount for carpools. I admit I haven't paid a lot of attention because I rarely use the 110. It and the 10 (San Bernardino Fwy portion) are supposed to be changed on a trial basis, if I remember correctly. At least that was the proposal a couple of years ago. There were cries of "Cadillac lanes" because poor people wouldn't be able to afford the tolls to use them. But if the experiment works, we could lose other HOV lanes in the future. I think it will take past the time our stickers expire for that to happen.
What you said here is correct. I actually found my answer on the Nissan Leaf forums as they were discussing the same thing: My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - I-110 & I-10 Los Angeles Express Lane Toll Policy I also uploaded a pdf from the Metro official site. The new lanes are being called "Metro Expresslanes". There were a couple members of Congress trying to protest this as transforming the HOV lanes into a privilege for the rich. They tried this when the 91 Fastrak opened, but we all know that still went into effect. Bottom line is this is going into effect - there's really no new construction except they have staggered new signs about 100 feet behind the current HOV signs. I also noticed tonight on the 110 South there's the same type of digital display on the 91 Fastrak. The signs are unveiled except for a couple of stickers covering the Fastrak logos. Therefore, green or white HOV decal holders will have to pay. This is most likely an average $4 per one way trip into/out of downtown Los Angeles. This project and the one on the 10W will require a new transponder that can switch from 1 to 2 to 3 occupant settings. These are shown in the pdf. On the current schedule, those of us green/white decals in the South Bay have 6 more good months of use. I will definitely be moving of the South Bay area by then.
Man, what a bummer. I was planning to use the carpool sticker specifically on the 110. I was all set to go with the PiP, but with this development, I might be better off with the Prius v and just pay the toll.
Solo drivers of low-emission autos fume over fees to use carpool lanes - Los Angeles Times Here's an article from September 2011. Obviously, this predates the announcement of the PiP's eligibility of the green sticker, so I suppose it makes sense that this kind of fell under the radar.
"The special toll lanes will be part of a one-year pilot program on the 10 between Alameda Street and the 605 Freeway and on the 110 between Adams Boulevard and the Artesia Transit Center." This particular sentence is especially good for a laugh - ask those who used to be able to drive the 91 HOV lanes if they trust the "One-Year Pilot Program". The government doesn't spend that much of our tax dollars for pilot programs - this is a program that will continue into perpetuity. We who commute from the South Bay to Downtown are getting screwed plain and simple. Don't worry, the contagion is going to spread to the San Gabriel Valley in 2013 so don't think this will stop.
